Expanding key programs for patients in 2024

Progress was made in 2024 with several program updates.

Swing Bed Program
Not every patient is ready to go home from the hospital right away. CMH's Medicare-certified Swing Bed program offers continued care to support patients with transitioning from a hospital stay to the next stage of their recovery.

The program expanded in 2023 to be available to more patients than ever before. As a result, CMH's number of Swing Bed patient days grew dramatically by 99%. This project was the first at CMH to implement true co-design as outlined by Planetree’s new criteria. Heather Moss, a CMH patient, attended every Swing Bed project meeting to provide a patient perspective.

In 2024, we recorded 580 Swing Bed days and hope to offer even more in 2025.

Ear, Nose and Throat/Otolaryngology Clinic
In 2024 we set the groundwork to add services and a provider in otolaryngology, also known as ENT (ear, nose and throat), and selected pediatric surgeries, in mid-2025. Our new provider, Dr. Justin Holt, will join CMH and open the clinic in July 2025.

Palliative Care
Lower Columbia Hospice provides hospice care in Clatsop County and last year, prepared to start a new Palliative Care program for the community in fall 2025.

All of hospice is palliative care. When a patient is on hospice, they have stopped medical intervention and are provided with comfort care. With palliative care, the patient is not quite ready for hospice and medical care is still being provided.

A nurse practitioner in palliative care will join Lower Columbia Hospice next year, as well as a social worker. They are also working on patient education to help the community understand the differences between palliative care and hospice.